FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: October 1, 2010
CONTACT: Molly Baldwin, mollybaldwin@assnhqtrs.com

Mississippi's Jeff McManus Earns CGM Status

(Baltimore, MD) - The Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) has announced that Jeff McManus of the University of Mississippi has become the 129th grounds management professional to successfully complete its Certified Grounds Manager (CGM) program.

McManus currently serves as director of landscape services, golf & airport operations at the University of Mississippi where he has been for the past 10 years. PGMS recently spent a few moments getting to know Jeff.

PGMS: How long have you been a PGMS member?
McManus: Since 1999.

PGMS: Why did you want to become a CGM?
McManus: We have developed a challenging and rewarding in-house certification program at Ole Miss Landscape for our front line staff and supervisors. It involves cross training, testing, encouraging ownership, teamwork, accountability and problem solving. I felt like the PGMS CGM fit in with what we are asking our staff to be, the leaders in the industry by example and knowledge.

PGMS: What did you think of the program?
McManus: As we ask our Ole Miss landscape staff, "where are we going, what do we want to be known for in the next five years?" The PGMS program helped us bring in some clarity to our role and the value we bring in recruiting the "best of the best" in students, faculty and staff to one of America's leading universities.

PGMS: What advice do you have for aspiring CGMs?
McManus: At first I dreaded getting started, the process was actually fun and I found I called a few other CGMs to get some feedback on what they did in some areas. This gave me a chance to network with some great leaders in the industry that I would not have normally done. I found the process to be energizing and insightful.

PGMS: What do you think is the biggest topic or issue affecting grounds managers right now?
McManus: On the college campuses, tuition really pays (or helps pays) the bill for all we do. We need to elevate the value we bring to the property we are managing. Creating a high demand to be at your campus is important. Studies show that 62% of all first time visitors onto a new college campus make the decision to enroll in the first 15 minutes of the visit (www.olemiss.edu/depts/landscape/iowa.html), The number one factor that determines if the student comes is how the landscape and buildings look. Wow, that is big. We know this is true when it comes to athletics too. Houston Nutt, the Ole Miss football head coach, in 2009 opened his press conference on signing day by thanking our Chancellor for making the campus so beautiful and understanding how it effects recruiting. We are the recruiters, we have to connect the dots of our beauty to the bottom line.

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